Manchester United may still have money to spend this summer despite Europa League final defeat
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Manchester United’s miserable season was encapsulated in 90 minutes of football on Wednesday night, as Brennan Johnson’s first-half winner gave Tottenham Hotspur Europa League glory in a 1-0 victory over Ruben Amorim’s side.
The fact Spurs hadn’t won a trophy in 17 years and yet still showed more big game know-how says a lot about the mentality of this United side, or the personnel, likely both. There was a couple of flashes by Amad Diallo, an acrobatic goal-line clearance by Micky van de Ven and a couple of important late saves by Guglielmo Vicario - otherwise United looked completely short of any ideas, with even captain Bruno Fernandes not coming to their rescue this time as Spurs defended for their lives and held on.
The fact that United sit 16th in the Premier League now becomes an even more glaring failure, as many of their players clocked out of the league season weeks ago to focus on the Europa League, and now where has that got them? If you had told any United fan when Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013 that they would finish 16th in the Premier League in their lifetime, they would have laughed so hard that they wouldn’t have had the chance to feel offended. Chelsea finishing 12th in 2022/23 was huge, but for Manchester United this is something else.
What United’s summer budget will be
According to reports by The Guardian, Amorim will still be given an £100m budget this summer despite Europa League final defeat, as the club’s fate on Wednesday was never going to be the deciding factor in the Portuguese’s summer backing by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the United board.
Matheus Cunha and Liam Delap remain strongly linked with Old Trafford, with forward areas a primary cause for concern after the distinct lack of creativity or conviction in front of goal in easily the most important match of the club’s season. Cunha will likely leave Wolves this summer and United are said to be the frontrunners to activate his £62.5m release clause at the conclusion of the season. Cunha is not put off by United’s league position, believing them to be one of the biggest clubs in the world.
A deal for Delap may be more complicated, as United will face competition from Newcastle United and Chelsea for the Ipswich Town striker, whose release clause is £30m. A playmaker is also reportedly in Amorim’s sights, though it remains to be seen whether this will fit within the £100m budget given.
Alejandro Garnacho is set to depart
One man whose time at Old Trafford looks to be coming to an end is Argentine forward Alejandro Garnacho, who publicly questioned his manager’s decision not to start him in the final on Wednesday.
Garnacho said: “Until we reached the final, I played every round. And I played 20 minutes today – I don’t know. I’m going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens next.”
The 20-year-old was linked with Napoli in January, and could be set to go through with a move away from Old Trafford this time around. The club will listen to offers for Garnacho according to the report above from The Guardian, and will likely have to come to terms with the fact that the talented winger will realise his potential elsewhere after a rough season in Manchester.
Several other big-name players are likely to exit over the summer, including the exiled Antony and Marcus Rashford and even potentially Kobbie Mainoo, who has been linked with a £70m exit over recent months. Talisman Fernandes even offered to leave in an interview after Europa League final defeat, stating he understands if the club need to cash in, though it seems unlikely it will come to this.
Regardless, it will be a summer to watch out for at Old Trafford as United find themselves in the weakest financial and sporting position the club has faced in living memory.